The weather has been kind and we loved going through Oldina and Heller Gorge South in dry conditions.

The Gorge was completely dry, which is rare, apart from a couple of small damp patches.

We were sort of hoping it would be a bit more damp, but had a really good run through there and we think today was close to the quickest we’ve ever done though the gorge.

GEOFFREY WILSON – We very surprised to be leading as it’s my daughter’s first time navigating and it took a while to get used to it.

We’re getting the swing of it now and our last few stage today have been pretty to right on.

The car’s going great too - it’s just a standard car with no modifications.

It starts every time and we drive it.

JOHN IRELAND – It’s taken the best part of all of last year to get really comfortable in the car and we were only starting to get anywhere near the capacity of the car could do towards the end of the year.

We started off well today and we’re very happy with how we’re going.

It’s a confidence thing – as soon as it all starts to come together it makes a huge difference.

It’s good to get a nice clean run for your first day.

I’m not getting any hints on how to drive the Viper from Jason White any more – I’m getting too close to him.

PAUL STOKELL – We’ve upgraded our supercharger for this event and it’s improved, but not as much as I thought it would.

It might be a case now of tweaking the tyres and suspension to suit the extra horsepower.

We’ve tried a few different things for this event, but it’s mainly a shakedown for Targa Tasmania.

We need to do a bit more development on the car – it’s all literally happened in the last week, so I think there’s room for improvement in overall performance.

JESSE MEDWIN – It’s great to be in the lead of your class at any time – it’s what we always hope for.

But for us it’s more important that we finish the event.

We crashed out in the wet on Savage River last year, so it’s a bit about redemption as well for us.

There’s no advantage in wet or dry, as we’ve all got all-wheel-drive, so it’s a very level playing field in GT4.

There are a few elements in car set-up which may give you an edge, but not much.

PETER GLUSKIE – It’s always good when you can battle with another crew in similar cars.

Nik (second placed driver Nik Prieston) and I have been racing each other around the place for the last few years now and it’s good to see the classic cars out with the handicaps working well to make it a close event.

We love this event and particularly Hellyer Gorge – it’s where we started as rookies five years ago, so we’ve got a bit of a soft spot for it and we’re looking forward to having another crack at it again tomorrow.

JACK WALDRON – We’re getting used to the Sigma now, but it’s actually got less room inside than the Fiat Abarth because of the shape of the roof.

This is our first time to this event in the newer car, but it suits our car well, because it’s a very torquey set-up.

It handles nicely, it’s predictable, it’s a naturally aspirated car, so the engine pulls right from the word go.

We’re enjoying it, but looking forward to Targa Tasmania later in the year – that’s why we brought the car to this event.

MITCHELL RINGUET – This is our first time at Targa North West and only our second Targa event, and we’re having a ball – how could you not?

We’ve been racing Lotuses for eight years now on the circuit and now we’re jumping into Targa rallies, so it’s a whole new game for us.

We finished second in our class at Targa Great Barrier Reef, which wasn’t a bad effort because we were very new to this type of event.